By Panos Katsiroumbas / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi seem determined to make a dynamic return to the top of Europe and in this respect have already started getting heavily reinforced. After the acquisition of Quincy Miller but also Maik Zirbes from Crvena Zvezda, the people’s team signed Sonny Weems as well, a player who tried to find a role in the NBA last year without however being successful.
His career
The 30-year-old guard played college basketball at two Universities, two years at Arkansas Fort Smith and another two at the better-known Arkansas University. In his senior year he was excellent, leading his team to the final of the tournament after 9 years of absence, while he was voted a member of the best group of five players in the SEC conference in which his university belonged.
He was selected with the 38th pick in the 2008 draft by the Denver Nuggets, where he didn’t get many chances. After a stint in the NBA Development League, he made his way up to Canada to join the Toronto Raptors, having two good years with a role and playing time, in his second year reaching an average of 10 points and 3 rebounds.
Despite his good years he didn’t get a contract in the NBA and so he made the decision to come to Europe at first for Zalgiris Kaunas, where he made an impression. CSKA added him to their roster, where he stayed for 3 years, playing in three Final Fours, though without managing to reach the top of Europe. His contract was not renewed and so he went back to the NBA with the Suns for a year, without finding an active role there either, and for the past few days he belongs to Maccabi Tel Aviv, confirming formally as well an agreement that had been completed since April.
What he can offer
Maccabi’s competitive style and the way they play, in theory, is a better fit with the way Weems plays compared to the more molded basketball that CSKA played. He can play and contribute in the 2 position but also in the 3 position, as he has a very complete offensive game. From the 2 position we’ve often seen him trying to launch attacks and execute from the post, but primarily he is a player who likes to play facing the basket.
He has a wide range of ways he can be a threat, having the ability to shoot from different parts of the court regardless of distance. He likes to create plays for himself and a lot of the time to execute his shots even on a defense. He can put the ball on the floor with some success although he does not usually get all the way to the paint but takes shots mostly from outside of the key. He’s also very good in the part of the offensive transition, something that Maccabi typically look for in their game.
Aside from his offensive abundance he also has some characteristics in his game that might confuse his team. From the 2 position he has difficulty creating plays, especially with a screen on the ball, and creation in general is not his forte. Furthermore, he can’t really be characterized a spot shooter, like many players who play in 3 can, since he likes to take shots in rhythm following a dribble. He definitely needs to put greater emphasis on and effort into the defensive part, both at an individual and a team level.
If he manages to control his rhythm and have a better reading of the game in some situations in offense, then he can develop into an offensive super-weapon that will give his team a major boost in this area.